


The Beginnings of Firelord Zuko

by sunfloewers



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Gen, Post-Canon, a little bit of canon divergence, or at least the beginnings of it, please be nice to me this is my first atla fic :D
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28027254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunfloewers/pseuds/sunfloewers
Summary: The hundred-year war is over. Zuko is crowned Firelord and the world starts to heal. He starts to heal. His father is rotting in the foul dungeons of the palace, the tyrant stripped of everything that gave him power, courtesy of the Avatar. Zuko is his successor, the rightful heir to the throne. And he will work to make things better.Just a little chapter on Firelord Zuko, his journey, and the beginnings of Azula redemption.
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Fire Nation Citizen(s) & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	The Beginnings of Firelord Zuko

Zuko rose with the Sun. A few weeks had passed since he was crowned Firelord, but the full force of his position had already begun to sink in. The drafts for treaties with the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes lay scattered on his desk. The ceremony after his coronation had been a quiet affair, he had taken his vows and the fire sages had deemed him worthy of the throne. Which was laughable, since there was nothing worthy about his predecessors, and Zuko was inclined to take their approval with a grain of salt. But there was nothing laughable about the enormous workload sitting on his shoulders. Being Firelord was easy in theory, but now that he has actually managed to sit on this throne, the job felt so daunting. Hauntingly so. A single wrong move on his part could crush any chance the Fire Nation had at redemption. But it was his burden to bear, and he was willing to right the wrongs of his family. Baby steps first, though.

Since the ceremony, Zuko had been working non-stop, his injury almost forgotten. The scar on his chest just another mark to remember. There were reparations to be made, and so much to fix. The Fire Nation had been at war for years and years, if a new era of peace was to be established, it would take an immense amount of planning to find a way to proceed. Aang and the others had already left for the South Pole, to begin negotiations with the Southern Water Tribe. Uncle Iroh had retired to his little tea shop in Ba Sing Se. As much as Zuko wanted his uncle by his side, he knew the nobles would not appreciate Uncle staying, lest he 'influence' him. So they parted ways, and Zuko promised to visit the shop soon. But at the rate things were going, he was afraid he wouldn't be seeing him soon as he had hoped. He missed the others too, and the simplicity of just roaming the world together with his friends. It had taken some time for the them to forgive him, but they did. Somehow they found Zuko worthy of their acceptance, and for that he was grateful. In a few weeks itself, they had become such a permanent fixture in his life. He missed them more than he would ever admit out loud in person, emotionally constipated turtleduck that he was.

It had been weird, walking down the hallways again, the portraits of his ancestors staring him down at each turn. He had been back at the palace for a brief period after his betrayal at the Crystal Catacombs, but this was different. It was permanent now. Even back then, Zuko knew his stay was temporary, but this time it couldn't be. It was different. The palace felt like home again. It had taken a while for his staff to adapt to a Firelord who wouldn't smite them on sight, over the smallest of mistakes. In all honesty, they were still slightly afraid. Zuko could see it in how his attendants would still flinch when he walked into the room. In how the cook would stand by with a badly hidden expression of panic, watching Zuko eat his painstakingly cooked dishes every mealtime. Zuko's reassurances would always fall on deaf ears. The gardener, the guards, the hairdresser, the waiters. Everybody was still waiting for that one snap, for the Firelord to burn them to dust for failing to live up to his expectations. But it never came. It never would come. The Firelord never berated them, never threatened them. He was fair and kind. And good in a way they had never experienced before. Zuko knew it would take time for them to accept him, but progress was progress nonetheless. They had suffered under his family for years, and a few weeks of kindness wouldn't just wipe out decades of abuse. But again, progress was progress. They had begun to trust him more, they were coming out of their shells. That itself was something Zuko felt he was truly lucky to receive, their acceptance and respect even more so. He felt unworthy.

Zuko visited his sister in her cell a lot. Ozai's cell was at the opposite end, and he hadn't bothered with him at all. It was pointless anyway. But Azula was different. The first few times yielded no results. She would curse him, and swear at him and wail and thrash and scream. It hurt seeing her, the very image of pristine perfection reduced to a sobbing mess. He wished it could be different. There were days when they had genuinely gotten along, a distant memory but it had existed. Hours of playing together in the gardens of the Fire palace. Chasing each other in the hallways, snuggling with their mother in bed, joking around with Ty Lee and Mai. _Zuzu_ and _Lala,_ there was a time they'd actually been _siblings._ So Zuko tried. He visited frequently. After a while, the screaming and yelling stopped, but then came the silence. Zuko didn't let it deter him. He'd take a seat outside his sister's cell, and speak. He spoke of the Gaang and their adventures. He spoke of Uncle Iroh and his confusing proverbs. He spoke of the annoying nobles, of the turtleduck family in the garden pond. There was this one time he even got her to smile while imitating Uncle in all his old man wiseness. A genuine smile, not the cruel one he'd gotten so used to receiving. The kind of smile he remembered her having in the happy days long past. It was _progress._ So Zuko tried harder. They would never have what Sokka and Katara did, but Agni help him, Zuko would try harder.

There were days Zuko felt like giving up. Being Firelord was _exhausting._ Not to mention, dangerous. He'd already had a number of assassination attempts. But no matter what, his friends stuck by him. His Uncle stuck by him. He had the faith and love of his people. He had the respect of the other leaders. He had the goodwill of his staff. He had the honour he'd fought tooth and nail to regain. Most importantly, he'd found his path. He'd followed the destiny he once feared.

So Zuko rose with the Sun every day. And every day he burned brighter than before, Agni's flame guiding him through the path of the righteous. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments are appreciated! Come find me on [tumblr](https://sunfloewers.tumblr.com/)!


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